A surgical stapling apparatus includes a loading unit, a surgical buttress, and a buttress retention band. The loading unit includes an anvil assembly and a staple cartridge assembly. The staple cartridge assembly includes a staple cartridge having a tissue facing surface including staple pockets and a central longitudinal slot defined therethrough, and a protrusion extending outwardly therefrom. The surgical buttress includes a proximal end portion and a distal end portion. The proximal end portion is positioned over the protrusion of the staple cartridge. The buttress retention band is disposed around the proximal end portion of the surgical buttress and the protrusion of the staple cartridge to releasably secure the proximal end portion of the surgical buttress to the staple cartridge assembly.

Stapling devices and staple cartridges are disclosed. A stapling device can include a jaw configured to sequentially receive a plurality of dissimilar staple cartridges having different bioabsorbable components. An adjustment module can implement a firing control algorithm based on which dissimilar staple cartridge is received in the jaw. A staple cartridge can include staples comprised of a bioabsorbable metal alloy and configured to degrade at a staple degradation rate over an expected staple life in the patient. A staple cartridge can also include an implantable layer comprised of a bioabsorbable polymer and configured to degrade at a layer degradation rate over an expected layer life in the patient. The staple degradation rate and the implantable degradation rate can be different. The implantable layer can mechanically support at least a portion of a staple for a time in the expected staple life.

A method of pairing bioabsorbable staples in a staple cartridge with the tissue being treated such that the staples are structurally sufficient during the healing window of the tissue but completely bioabsorb shortly thereafter.

A stapling device includes an adapter assembly and a reload assembly that includes a reload release mechanism that is movable from a locked position in which the reload assembly is locked onto the adapter assembly to an unlocked position in which the reload assembly can be removed from the adapter assembly. The adapter assembly of the stapling device includes a lockout that prevents movement of the reload release mechanism to the unlocked position unless the stapling device is in a non-articulated, unfired position.

A surgical stapling device includes a cartridge assembly and a firing assembly. The cartridge assembly includes a cartridge body defining a central knife slot and rows of staple receiving pockets positioned on each side of the central knife slot. Each of the staple receiving slots receives one of the staples. The firing assembly includes a first firing device and a second firing device. The first firing device is movable from a retracted position to an advanced position independently of the second firing device to eject some of the staples on both sides of the central knife slot from the cartridge body, and the second firing device is subsequently movable from a retracted position to an advanced position to eject the staples remaining in the cartridge body from the cartridge body.

Systems and methods for controlling staple firing include an end effector, a drive system configured to apply a force or torque to cause staple firing to occur, and a processor. The end effector includes a first jaw and a second jaw holding staples. The processor is configured to monitor the applied force or torque to cause staple firing to occur and maintain application of clamping by the first jaw and the second jaw while suspending application of the force or torque that causes the staple firing, when the applied force or torque is outside an acceptable range of force or torque.

Disclosed is a surgical stapling apparatus and method of use that includes a cartridge assembly which is capable of being reloaded during a surgical procedure without being removed from the surgical site. This allows a surgeon to continue a surgical operation without withdrawing or removing the surgical stapler for reloading and thus reduces the length of the surgery while allowing the physician to concentrate solely on the surgical procedure rather than dividing attention between the surgical procedure and reloading of the surgical stapler. The surgical stapling apparatus includes an elongate member having a plurality of fasteners arranged in a plurality of longitudinally extending rows which is longitudinally translatable through the cartridge to position the plurality of fasteners relative to a plurality of retention slots extending through an upper surface of the cartridge.

A hand-held electromechanical surgical instrument includes a handle housing, a shaft portion extending distally from the handle housing, a firing shaft configured to effect a stapling function of an end effector, and a manual lever coupled to the firing shaft for manually retracting the firing shaft and, in turn, opening the end effector.

A staple driver actuator for a surgical stapler includes a base having at least one bottom surface. The bottom surface defines a plane and is configured to slide longitudinally relative to a jaw of the surgical stapler. The base also has at least one top surface parallel to the plane. The staple driver actuator further includes at least one rail extending upwardly from the base. The rail includes at least one first cam surface. The first cam surface is inclined relative to the plane, and the first cam surface is longitudinally aligned with at least a portion of the at least one top surface.

A surgical stapling apparatus includes a shaft assembly, an end effector secured to the shaft assembly, a firing assembly, and an articulation assembly. The firing assembly includes a drive beam and a flexible knife bar assembly that are selectively advanceable through the end effector for firing the end effector. The articulation assembly has an articulation link assembly and a pivotable bar guide assembly. The articulation link assembly is coupled to the end effector and actuatable to cause the end effector to articulate relative to the shaft assembly. The pivotable bar guide assembly supports the flexible knife bar assembly and includes a proximal guide assembly and a distal guide assembly that are pivotably coupled together. The proximal guide assembly is pivotably coupled to the shaft assembly. The distal guide assembly is pivotably coupled to the end effector.